Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

Debate On Vaccines: Politicians’ Statements Backfire; Doctors Need To Be Held Accountable

Commentators take Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and N.J. Gov. Chris Christie to task for failing to strongly advocate for immunizations, and one medical ethics expert says that a few doctors have muddled the debate.

The New York Times:
The Dangers Of Vaccine Denial
In a few backward parts of the world, extremists resist universal childhood vaccinations. The Taliban in tribal areas of Pakistan. Boko Haram militants in Northern Nigeria. Oh, yes, one more: Some politicians in the United States. Senator Rand Paul — a doctor! — told CNBC that he had delayed his own children’s immunizations and cited “many tragic cases of walking, talking, normal children who wound up with profound mental disorders after vaccines.” After an uproar, Paul walked back his remarks and tweeted a photo of himself getting a Hepatitis A vaccination. After that irresponsible scaremongering, I’d say he deserves to get shots daily for a decade. With really long needles. (Nicholas Kristof, 2/7)

Bloomberg:
Christie And Paul Come Down With Measles
Sadly, Governor Chris Christie and Senator Rand Paul, leading Republican lights and likely presidential candidates, didn't get the memo soon enough. They suffered a bout of hoof-in-mouth disease that led them to try to play nice with the activist anti-vaccine crowd (also known as: those most likely to vote in early 2016 caucuses and primaries). As they both now know, there's no vaccination against pandering going viral. The ensuing kerfuffle over their sympathy for those who would jeopardize the health of all to indulge a few is a lesson in the dangers of blowing a dog whistle. It is also a reminder of an older, simpler lesson: It pays to tell the truth. (Margaret Carlson, 2/6)

Politico:
Why The Not-So-Great Vaccine Debate Of February 2015 Doesn’t Matter
The dust appears to be settling after a couple politicians stepped into the national discussion about vaccination last week—and that’s something anyone who cares about public health should be cheering. ... If anything, the question of mandatory vaccination splits along generational lines rather than political ones. A recent Pew Research survey found that 41 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds believe vaccinating children should be up to the parents, compared to only 20 percent of adults over age 65—also those most likely to have lived through outbreaks of the diseases children now avoid with vaccinations. Given that older adults are more likely to show up to the polls, that makes Christie’s and Paul’s statements appear even more off-base. (Tara Haelle, 2/8)

The Washington Post:
Best State In America: Mississippi, For Vaccination Rates
The measles outbreak that has spread from California to Arizona and beyond has renewed debate over whether parents should be required to vaccinate their children. Medical professionals almost unanimously agree that doing so prevents the spread of dangerous diseases with little or no risk, while some parents on the left and the right are concerned about autism and big-government interference. In Mississippi, the debate has long been settled. Since the 1970s, the state has required parents to vaccinate any child attending public or private schools, and it’s very difficult for anyone to claim an exemption. (Reid Wilson, 2/6)

The Washington Post:
Revoke The License Of Any Doctor Who Opposes Vaccination
Amateurs and hucksters are not the only people telling parents not to vaccinate their children. Unfortunately some doctors — men and women sworn to the Hippocratic Oath — are purveying junk science. ... Doctors who purvey views based on anecdote, myth, hearsay, rumor, ideology, fraud or some combination of all of these, particularly during an epidemic, should have their medical licenses revoked. Thankfully, states have the right tools to do so. It’s time to use them. (Arthur L. Caplan, 2/6)

The Washington Post:
I Used To Be A Vaccine Skeptic. Now I’m A Believer.
It wasn’t until I read Eula Biss’s January 2013 essay on vaccinations in Harper’s magazine that I understood, for the first time, how herd immunity works. ... I was reminded of a voice — my own voice from years before, when my first daughter was a baby — saying, “She’s safe even without her shots because everyone around her is vaccinated.” I actually said that, several times, to several people. Friends said the same thing to me about their unvaccinated children. We had that luxury — we could count on herd immunity to protect our children. I can’t say exactly why the idea of protecting others hadn’t hit me before. (Gal Adam Spinrad, 2/6)

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